 | Manufacturer : Nesco In Stock : 9
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$169.99 |
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$121.13 |
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$48.86 (29%) |
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- Easy-to-use 800-watt coffee-bean roaster ensures the freshest results
- Roasts up to 1/3 pound of beans--enough for about 36 cups of brewed coffee
- Pre-set digital controls; takes only 20 to 30 minutes from roasting to brewing
- Powerful agitator; advanced catalytic converter reduces smoke and odors
- Measures 14-4/5 by 10-1/2 by 14 inches; 1-year limited warranty
Home roasting coffee beans provides a simple way to enjoy the aromas and tastes of freshly roasted coffees. Roasted coffee stales very quickly and is dramatically diminished in days so home roasting ensures your coffee is always fresh. Green coffee beans are easy to find in stores or on line. It's fun and easy and takes only about 20 to 30 minutes from roasting to brewing and about half the cost of store-bought roasted beans. The Nesco Coffee Bean Roaster features a patented catalytic technology that significantly reduces smoke and odors during the roasting process. Pre-set digital controls automatically roasts and cools with the touch of a button. The Nesco Coffee Bean Roaster provides a superior roasting performance by combining warm air with a powerful agitator to create an even roast with uniform color throughout the roasting batch. It's capable of roasting up to 1/3 pound of fresh green beans (about 36 cups of brewed coffee). Average Rating of 2.50 out of 13 reviews
Rating :      Perfect? No, but great - Neil J. Fruit, II, Sep 12, 2009
I began roasting coffee in a WearEver popcorn popper, but living in a cold climate I did not want to be outside in the middle of winter roasting coffee. I purchased a Nesco Coffee roaster from Burman Coffee Traders about 11 months ago. This roaster produces virtually no smoke while allowing the smell of the roasting beans to pass through so you can use the smell to aid your roasting. I needed the smokeless feature because we have no range hood/exhaust fan. About 1 month ago (when the roaster was just over 10 months old) I left my son in charge of watching the roaster while I stepped away for a few moments. Needless to say, the roaster began to smoke and the auger froze. My son did immediately unplug the roaster. After a thorough cleaning all seemed to be well as the auger still worked, etc., but there was no heat. I called Customer Service at Nesco and was graciously and politely assisted by a CS representative. The CSR gave me a return authorization. Two days later I mailed the box and two days after that Nesco received the roaster. One week later I had what appears to be a brand new roaster sitting on my steps after work.
I think the quality of the roaster is above average, but the customer service was outstanding. I must admit that the week without the roaster was difficult, having become quite accustomed to exceptional coffee roasted at home and freshly ground. This is a great product. It is not a commercial roaster and it should not be expected to perform like one. All-in-all this is a great roaster, but it is available cheaper at other sites that also offer free coffee samples to get you started.
Rating :      Great Idea... Abominable Engineering... Poor Investment - , Aug 28, 2009
Like many other people here, I was excited by the idea of a coffee roaster that was "smoke free" and offered a chance to roast beans in small batches. I liked the idea of a smoke free coffee roaster so much that when the first one failed (it was a remanufactured product) I bought a new one thinking that the problem with the first one was just a fluke.
Not a fluke... both machines experienced the same "catastrophic failure" within one year of weekly use. The pulley mechanism is poorly designed. It is coated in plastic and eventually fails; the auger stops moving, the beans overheat, which can potentially overheat and melt the control components, making the machine a fire hazard.
My experience with customer service also has been similar to others' experiences described here. You cannot order spare parts to fix the machine yourself, the machine must be returned to the manufacturer. You have to pay for shipping (both ways) and you also have to pay for the repair.
Performing a Cost Benefit Analysis, I discovered that it costs almost as much to return the machine to the manufacturer for them to replace the failed pulley mechanism (providing you caught the malfunction in time before it melted the other components) as it would to buy a new one.
"Fool me once, shame on you... Fool me twice, shame on me..."
Since I have about 10 pounds of green coffee beans sitting in my cupboard (and I am tired of drinking stale bean coffee) I am looking for a similar machine with a higher margin of safety and a low to zero a failure rate, that performs the same fit, form and function (time controlled, produces small batch, and smoke/chaff free) for around the same cost.
So... if there are any unemployed inventors who are also home-roast coffee aficionados ... you have a "niche" market here, and, by the way, if it was made here in the USA that would ROCK! :)
Rating :      Expensive for a poor quality roaster - Kelsey Dancause, Jul 31, 2009
This is an expensive machine for the quality. Mine failed after one year (beans get stuck in the auger; the motor is susceptible to burning up - Nesco's response was to send it back with a sticker on the front reading, "Don't leave machine unattended," which is apparently their solution for any items that might warrant recall.) After being completely repaired, the machine in fact failed AGAIN - but couldn't be repaired this time. Customer service just called to ask if they could throw it away.
Friends who have the Fresh Roast Plus 8 machine have been happily roasting for years; and at about $80, that's a good price-quality ratio. The Nesco is disappointing in every respect. I don't think it's unreasonable to be disappointed when a $150 machine fails annually. Look elsewhere for a good home roaster.
Rating :      Excellent, if it lasts - Steve, Jun 26, 2009
Pros:
= Easy 1 step, no going outside
= Perfect for light roasts
= Adequate volume (1 cup of beans for light roast, 3/4 cup for dark)
Cons:
= can't leave unattended because of risk of fire
= may not last according to other reviewers
= takes a long time for dark roasts
4 out of 9 reviewers so far say this product will not last and they gave it a 1. About half of the others do not seem to have had it long. I just got it and have tried it once. If it lasts, it will be perfect for me. It's so easy, you can pour beans into the unit and 20 minutes later pour them into a grinder (although you're supposed to let the cooked beans "age" 12 hours).
It's all 1 step because:
1) you don't have to go outside because there is no smoke,
2) you don't have to seperate chaff, and
3) you don't have to cool off the beans
I like light roasts and it takes 15 minutes of heat time instead of 7 minutes (faster units) to do a light roast, which means you can control cook time better. Cool time is 5 minutes. Since the unit stays hot after using, you need to remove the beans right away which are pretty warm to the touch but not hot. The first 2 or 3 minutes it is just heating itself up, so heat time for a light roast (almost a medium by my standards) is about 12 minutes. The chaff looks like it's not coming out, but there was no chaff in the beans when I poured them out. The instructions say you have to clean it after every use, but it seems to me that no holes will be obstructed or unusually dirty even after 5 uses of light roasts. Only the screen needs to be emptied of chaff after each use. For my first use, I poured in the beans, pressed start (default time is 20 which is 15 minutes cook time, 5 minutes cool), and 20 minutes later, poured the beans into a jar for storage.
Rating :      DANGEROUS item, and awful customer service. Avoid. - 718tech, Jun 05, 2009
I've been roasting coffee for over 10 years, on various devices ranging from the simplest popcorn poppers to dedicated home roasters. I've never had any catch on fire. The Nesco wasn't overloaded, it simply slipped a gear - the auger stopped turning - and so the beans inside started to smolder. Despite catching this quickly, there was oily residue all over the roaster. I returned it to Nesco under warranty, and they "fixed" it, but what I got back was exactly the same machine, still reeking of smoke. When I complained about this, they said "this is all we can do". When it worked, it was OK for lighter roasts. This is a poorly thought-out product from an infomercial-level company, and is a danger. You're much better off using a popcorn popper, or exploring some of the other home machines. (see sweet marias for a comprehensive range)
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| List Price: |
$199.00 |
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| List Price: |
$169.99 |
| Price: |
$121.13 |
| You Save: |
$48.86 (29%) |
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